The damage has varied. Cecilio Guante's pitch to his face on April 7, 1989, stole a bit of his courage, he admits. Bill Madlock's "dirty slide" on Sept. 24, 1987, crushed his elbow and took some life off the shortstop's throws across the infield. None of the damage, though, has been permanent, according to Fernandez.

"People think I don't have a good arm anymore," said Fernandez. "I'll let the first baseman testify on that. I want to play as long as my body allows me to."

Fernandez's body remains willing because his mind has always been strong. Cabeza -- Spanish for "head" -- was a nasty nickname while he was growing up in the Dominican Republic. Now for Fernandez, it is said in tribute. His brain is about the only body part not to suffer direct injury.

"I think I am a conservative shortstop now," said Fernandez, 30 years old and about to enter his 10th season in the majors. "As a younger player, I was called flashy. For me, I liked to make the play as easy as possible. For some, that was styling."

The shortstop style for Fernandez today is more that of data processor, cold calculator. Identify the man at the plate, rifle through the brain's file to discover the tendencies. Effort is conserved, and runs are saved nonetheless. 'I'm in My Prime'

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"You become more mature, and so you compensate," said Fernandez. "Positioning yourself is the key. I believe that at 30, I'm in my prime. I can make the plays. I can get the outs."

And at bat, he can make dozens of fewer outs than any of the other shortstops the Mets have outfitted in recent seasons. Dick Schofield hit .205 for the Mets in 1992. Kevin Elster hit .224 during his tenure. Fernandez has hit .295 for his career with Toronto and San Diego. There were his 213 hits in 1986, his .322 average in 1987, his 17 triples in 1990, his 30 or more doubles in five of the last eight years.

"An offensive force," said Manager Jeff Torborg. "A complete player."

All of which raises the possibility that the Mets can construct more of a complete batting order. Fernandez will hit second behind Vince Coleman. He could hit leadoff if -- now don't say when -- Coleman is disabled. The challenge for the Mets is to create an environment and work schedule that maximize the chance for Fernandez to appear in 150 games and hit at the same level in September as he did in last May.

Fernandez, who hit .330 or above for most of the first half of last season with the Padres, slid to .297 by the All-Star Game break and finished with a .275 average. Making Vacation Plans

"I don't have a game plan for him yet," said Torborg. "But it is clear we are going to have to rest him. I will let him dictate the specifics of it. He is a man with his own techniques, his own style."

And his own very prepared, very unspecific rationale for his fall-off last season.

"I had back spasms near the end, although I can't use those as an excuse," said Fernandez. "To me, I was on the ball as hard as I had been, there just weren't hits. People told me I had a curse on me."

A curse? No. Scars? Yes.

INSIDE PITCH

TONY FERNANDEZ confessed that he gave TERRY PENDLETON of Atlanta every chance to beat out a ground ball on the last day of the 1992 season so that the Braves' third baseman might achieve his 200th hit. "You can't make it too obvious," said Fernandez, who threw Pendleton out all the same. "But I gave it a try." . . . BOBBY BONILLA, who believed last season that umpires were overly eager in ringing him up on called third strikes, said he anticipates no lingering problems this season. At least, he is sure there are no hard feelings on his end. "Players, I think, let things go faster than other people," said Bonilla. . . . DWIGHT GOODEN, BRET SABERHAGEN and SID FERNANDEZ all pitched to live batters, with positive results for everyone but the players with the bats. "It wasn't quite fair," said Manager JEFF TORBORG. . . . Former manager BUD HARRELSON has been working with the infielders this spring.

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A version of this article appears in print on February 26, 1993, on Page B00009 of the National edition with the headline: BASEBALL; Fernandez Doesn't Dwell On Health. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe